Good Steak
Doe's Eat Place is an excellent steak restaurant. Originating from the Mississippi Delta, the chain specializes in steaks, tamales, shrimp, gumbo, Southern-style drop biscuits, and their signature salad.

Best bet is to order one of their tender steaks and share with a friend. We ordered the 2 pound sirloin, a half-order of their famous tamales (they come with chili), the salad, and the crab and corn bisque. Everything was excellent. The steak was so thick and so large that we had them put it back on the burner after it cooled off... It took us a *long* time to finish it off!

The steaks are cut very thick, so if you like your steak cooked medium rare, you may want to ask for it cooked medium. We found ours was just slightly undercooked, so we asked them to cook it a little longer and they happily obliged.

The atmosphere is casual, the service was good, and the price is expensive but reasonable. Recommended if you like hardy, Southern-style cuisine.    [15 Nov 2006 19:10:21]

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Recommended Dishes: Sirloin and Tamales

     ­D&M   

Not doing Doe's again...
Yes, yes, we know. It’s a famous chain restaurant. 417 Magazine glossied it up in a recent issue, so Gran and Co. tried it last night. Doe’s Eat Place in Springfield is at 1232 E Trafficway, near Hammons Field.

Let’s be fair. The service was excellent. The waitress was attentive without being overbearing. A very pleasant young lady. In addition, if you’re a meat lover, this is your place. The sirloin steak is HUGE: two pounds is the minimum. Two of us ate just a little of what was on our (shared) plate. Frankly, it’s enough meat for six people. The fries are great. You can learn all about the food on one of our favorite foodie web sites, Roadfood.com. Doe’s has a kicked-back atmosphere. The staff wears jeans and T-shirts, and there’s a casual, fun ambiance about the place. We chose not to be seated in the bar area…we don’t enjoy watching people sitting around and staring at huge TV screens. From our table in the dining room, we had a clear view of the kitchen. The kitchen staff was in full view behind the counter.

Here’s where the place falls apart, folks. In Granny’s opinion, the kitchen is a case of food poisoning waiting to happen. Nobody in the kitchen wore gloves at any time. ALL contact with food was bare-handed, except for the tongs that were used to pull the steaks out of the hot oven. Staff members were eating soup from bowls, and they were drinking from glasses without lids and straws. There was a lot of adjusting of baseball caps and head scarfs by staff, who then started to prepare food without washing their hands. Forget about gloves! One of the cooks was tapping on the countertop with two long, butcher knives, as though they were drumsticks. Then, he used the knives to prepare food. We ordered the house speciality, tamales, to go. Were they packed into a styrofoam “to-go” box? NO. They were packed inside a used, metal can. Almost unbelievable, isn’t it? Totally disgusting as well. It was a bizarre experience. Until the place cleans up its act, we’ll not be doing Doe’s again.    [11 May 2007 12:13:12]

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     ­Anonymous